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079 Desperation
The background is white. ; Panel 1 Angstrom, standing calf deep in the snow outside the antiques shop, looks toward Zane as he says "I'm afraid this is where we part ways for now, Mr. Zane." Zane, standing with his back against the open door, looks back at Angstrom as he says "I'm afraid too." The snow is still falling, and has fallen so thickly that it's piled at the base of the door behind Zane where he's opened it, and it coats the windowpanes, lamppost and top of the building. It's dark out now, and the lamp is lit. ; Panel 2. Angstrom turns away from the antiques shop, saying "I'm going home to commit the day's events to a bedside journal, not buried in my case notebook. We'll meet tomorrow. I bid you a night of *questions answered*." Zane, halfway inside the building and closing the door behind him, turns to watch him go through the partially open door. ; Panel 3. Inside the antiques shop, Zane takes his coat off. He looks to his side, his expression anxious, as he says "Get a hold of yourself, Wadsworth. You're no *criminal*. It doesn't look good right now, but it's all *circumstantial*. You're not a desperate man. You're an *encyclopedia salesman* for heaven's sake. Okay, that doesn't help." Mercy is flying toward him, making "eee! eee! eee! eee!" noises. The dark antiques shop is colored in cool purples and bluish-greys, and the multi-pane window and the large cabinet are visible in the background. ; Panel 4. Zane takes a small worm out of a jar and offers it to Mercy, who is clinging to his shoulder. She looks happy, making an "eee!" noise. His expression is still anxious as he continues, "Either way I can't afford another night of *missing memories*. And if the way back is another nightmare, I need to *guarantee* one." Behind him is one of the long, thin tables, with a round green object, a tall, thin purple box, a cubical red box and a cylindrical light blue box. There's a golden trumpet tucked behind the red box. ; Panel 5. Zane looks over to the side at Mercy, who is still clinging to his shoulder. He grits his teeth and draws his eyebrows together, looking determined as he says "I only know *one surefire way* to ruin my night and fill it with the most *unsettling, fitful dreams*. Maybe... I *am* a desperate man." Mercy looks up at him, a worm dangling from her mouth. Thin, short lines coming from her head show her surprise. ; Panel 6. Unlike most of the rectangular or borderless panels, this panel is a circle. Zane is sitting at a booth in Cubby's, Mercy sitting by his side. He looks up at the waitress, his face filled with trepidation, as he says "Mabel, let me have three hamburgers with *double onions* and *extra relish*." Mabel looks at him cooly as she says "Any coffee with that?" He answers "No thanks -- *I gotta get some sleep*."